“Servant leadership is not about acquiring power, wealth or fame for oneself as a leader; it’s about identifying and meeting the needs of others.” 

Kent Keith

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy talks with Dr. Kent Keith,  author of “Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments.” You no doubt have heard of the “paradoxical commandments” — if nowhere else, then on social media, where, unfortunately, they often are attributed to Mother Theresa.

The commandments are guidelines for finding personal meaning in the face of adversity, for example: People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered — love them anyway.

In this conversation, Jeff and Kent discuss servant leadership and its role in the world of nonprofits and fundraising. Kent answers questions, including:

• What application is there for servant leadership in the nonprofit world?
• What advice would you offer fundraising professionals today?

About our Guest

Kent is the president of the Carlson Keith Corporation. He has helped people find personal meaning since he was a college student in the 1960s. He is the author of “The Paradoxical Commandments,” which he wrote when he was 19, a sophomore at Harvard College. “The Paradoxical Commandments” are guidelines for finding personal meaning in the face of adversity. He also is the author of “The Universal Moral Code,” a set of fundamental moral principles that can be found throughout the world. 

Kent has been featured on the front page of The New York Times and in People magazine, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and Family Circle. He has been interviewed on the “NBC Today Show” and “The Hour of Power” and has appeared on dozens of TV shows and more than 100 radio programs in the U.S., the U.K., Asia and Australia.

Kent is the author of 10 books. His most recent publications include “The Case for Servant Leadership,” “Have Faith Anyway: The Vision of Habakkuk for Our Times,” “Servant Leadership in the Boardroom: Fulfilling the Public Trust,” “Morality and Morale: A Business Tale” and “The Christian Leader at Work: Serving by Leading.”

Connect with Kent on LinkedIn.